The UK government has announced that it will make the meningitis B vaccine available to students in a bid to reduce the risk of the disease. The vaccine will be offered to students in the 17-18 age group, who are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Meningitis B is a bacterial infection that can cause severe and potentially life-threatening illness, and the vaccine has been shown to be highly effective in preventing the disease.
The vaccine will be administered to students at school or university, and will be provided free of charge to the NHS. The move is part of a broader effort to improve vaccination rates among young people in the UK. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has welcomed the announcement, saying that the vaccine will 'help to protect young people from this serious disease'.
The decision to offer the vaccine to students follows a review of the evidence by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommended that the vaccine be made available to those in the 17-18 age group. The JCVI has also recommended that the vaccine be given to those who are at a higher risk of contracting the disease, such as those with certain underlying health conditions.
The meningitis B vaccine has been available in the UK since 2015, and has been shown to be highly effective in preventing the disease. In 2020, the vaccine was given to over 1 million children in the UK, and has been credited with preventing hundreds of cases of meningitis B.